3M Health Care Launches Medical Diagnostics Business Products to Focus on Early Detection of Key Microbes to Help Prevent Spread of Infection

12.03.2007 – 16:21

St. Paul, Minnesota (ots/PRNewswire) -

- For the attention of News and Business Editors

3M Health Care announced today the launch of a new Medical
Diagnostics business unit that will focus on developing and
commercializing rapid diagnostic product solutions for the detection
of key infectious pathogens, including methicillin-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and other treatment-resistant microbes.

This new business builds on 3M Health Care's leading infection
prevention product portfolio by offering hospitals new rapid
diagnostic tests to detect the presence of potentially destructive
microbes before they spread and possibly infect patients. 3M Medical
Diagnostics will provide hospitals with rapid, easy-to-use microbial
diagnostic tests that may help improve patient outcomes, reduce
costs, reduce the impact of resistant microbes and improve laboratory
profitability.

"3M Medical Diagnostics is a natural extension of our infection
prevention platform and enables us to offer hospitals a full spectrum
of products that detect, prevent and treat infections in the hospital
setting," said Angela Dillow, PhD, Global Business Manager, 3M
Medical Diagnostics. "We see many market trends pointing to the need
for rapid, easy-to-use microbial diagnostics that will aid in the
prevention and control of infections in hospitals in the U.S. and
abroad."

For example, in the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
estimate that approximately 90,000 deaths annually are attributable
to hospital-acquired (nosocomial) infections.[i] New guidelines were
issued by the CDC in October 2006 outlining strategies to prevent the
spread of drug-resistant infections in healthcare settings. The
screening of patients at high risk for carrying drug-resistant
bacteria was recommended for healthcare facilities that do not
improve their healthcare-associated infection (HCAI) rates.

In the U.S., current infection prevention patient screening
activities include no screening at all, traditional cultures, which
provide results in 48 hours, or expensive molecular diagnostics. 3M
plans to introduce new rapid diagnostic products that will simplify
the diagnostic testing process and provide more rapid results than
traditional microbiology tests for the detection of key microbes such
as Staphylococcus aureus, MRSA and Influenza A and B.

3M's rapid diagnostic tests, expected in 2007, will allow
physicians to make informed medical decisions on behalf of their
patients while hospital labs will be able to reduce the amount of
hands-on time conducting these tests, which may lead to reduced
healthcare costs and improved laboratory profitability.

HCAIs remain a persistent challenge for hospitals worldwide. A
prevalence survey conducted under the auspices of the World Health
Organization (WHO) in 55 hospitals of 14 countries representing 4 WHO
Regions (Europe, Eastern Mediterranean, South-East Asia and Western
Pacific) showed an average of 8.7 percent of hospital patients had
nosocomial infections. At any time, over 1.4 million people worldwide
suffer from infectious complications acquired in hospitals.[ii]

About 3M Health Care

Since inventing Ioban (TM) incise antimicrobial surgical drapes
more than 30 years ago, 3M has been a worldwide leader in developing
health care products and services that address infection prevention
and control. 3M Health Care, one of 3M's six major business segments,
is dedicated to improving the practice, delivery and outcome of
patient care and is a leading provider of solutions for medical,
dental, orthodontic and health information markets. Ioban is a
trademark of 3M.

[i] AJIC: American Journal of Infection Control. 33(4):217-226,
May 2005